Step Brothers (2008) Movie Review

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly struck comedic box office gold with their last pairing in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and now they are back together in the raunchy and crude comedy Stepbrothers, which is one Saturday Night Live skit dragged out past its welcome.

The film also reunites Ferrell and Reilly with Adam McKay, who directed Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, as well as another Ferrell comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Outside of directing Step Brothers, McKay also inked the script with Ferrell and had comic guru Judd Apatow, take on a producing role.

The story is surely basic starting with Nancy Huff (Mary Steenburgen) and Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins), romantically connecting at a medical conference. The widow and the divorcee quickly decide to get married and move in together. In which, both have immature sons that are around 40 years old and still live at home. Nancy’s son Brennan (Will Ferrell) is a pure mama’s boy that sits around on the couch eating homemade nachos. Robert’s son Dale (John C. Reilly) is also a homebody that loves his drums and is left twenty dollars a day by his dad to order pizza for lunch. Both siblings hate the idea of their parents marrying, but more so of having to live with one another and share a room. After very harsh passive aggressive verbal arguments and physical alterations, the two learn that they have a lot in common, such as their favorite dinosaur to say the least. However, the two merely act worse than kids with their stunts, attention-grabbing acts, as well as destructive nature; Robert gives them the ultimatum of getting jobs. The two brothers’ behavior takes a strain on the two parents and their friendship, which leaves to more comedic rudeness that includes Dale and Brennan going back to hating then loving each other again.

Like with previous work by McKay, Step Brothers has an over the top happy ending, which is the nail in the coffin of its welcome. The film does have some laugh out loud moments, though you have probably already witnessed most of them in the preview trailer. McKay really just lets his two comedic actors play constantly and work off of each other’s lines, delivery, and physical comedy. The film is very raunchy and gross, including Brennan rubbing his private parts on Dale’s drums in spite. As with the concept of the film, the toilet humor also becomes repetitive and tiresome. The concept with two old men still living with their newly married parents is humorous in itself, but it would have worked better just as a skit. As mentioned previously, it just runs out of gas and laughs quickly, to where the film becomes more stupid, gross and unforgiving than anything.

Step Brothers is a very R-rated comedy, which lets Ferrell and Reilly spill out expletives left and right. Some of their moments are funny, in which it is hard not to laugh at Ferrell throwing a tantrum because his mother takes the television away. Ferrell and Reilly bounce off each other well, but let's hope they have a better road to work with next time. Some of the most amusing moments of the film are actually hearing the talented veteran actors Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen drop f-bombs at their frustration and dismay with their childish sons. Both are excellent actors and with Reilly and Ferrell, all seemed to have a ball making this film. Adam Scott arises to play Brennan’s arrogant chudish brother, and there are cameos in the film by Seth Rogen, Phil LaMarr, and Horatio Sanz.

Step Brothers is yet another R-rated comedy from producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad, The 40-Year Old Virgin), who has really been hit or miss lately. He produced Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which was one of last spring’s pleasant surprises, but also has delivered the dreadful Drillbit Taylor and You Don’t Mess With The Zohan this year. Step Brothers is also a miss, which has a basic funny premise, but it joke runs out before even half the film is over. The cast are comedic talents; hopefully they can rebound from this near constant annoyance of a film.